Hands on: Smart-i 3500HD 2 Channels dashcam with touchscreen

Mtz

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Dash Cam
Viofo A229 Pro TeleQuad
This is my first dashcam with touchscreen, but also with 2 channels (front and rear cameras). Made in Korea by Innotek and sold on ebay for about $270 by lightnspace, the same seller which is selling the Livue LB100.

Unboxing:

Being made in Korea, Smarti 3500HD have the specific korean looking like: glossy, some orange square around the lens with a silver border and a big blue LED. Maybe a future version will be full black, but I think will remain glossy. I think the main target for this type of camera is for people which want to use a dashcam only in their car and because of this, for a touchscreen and 3.5" display the video resolution, FPS and quality is very good, but not if watching on PC or TV, or editing or uploading to YouTube.


Look HERE for more pictures

Day video sample:
Original file.

Night video sample:
Original file.

Software:
The english version of Smart-i PC Viewer is included on the provided SD Card. After installing, when you will start the program you will see some Google warning about some API key. I don't have the GPS module so I don't care about Google Maps. After closing the Google message you need to press the SD Card icon and to wait about 5 minutes until the PC Viewer will find your SD Card connected to the PC. I think all korean PC Viewers have this stupid idea to automatic search for SD Card. Why not offering a user manual option to browse for the SD Card location?



SD Card: Manual, firmware, default configuration file
Boot time: after receiving power, after 5 seconds the blue LED will go on and after 30 seconds the camera will start recording.
The rear camera must be connected before starting the Smarti.
Weight: Smart-i=126gr., Itronics ITB-250HD=88gr., Livue LB100=90gr.

Watching and playback information:
If you want to analyze many recorded videos from your dashcam on your PC, you will be not satisfied when watching on your computer. If you want to watch your both channels recordings you must to use their Smart-I PC Viewer because both video streams are in one AVI file. The MPC-HC can't play correctly the AVI with 2 Channels file because over the front camera image you will see flickering some black square (the rear camera video), but no problem with 1 Channel video. But with VLC you can play both videos in separate windows.

Video recording format:
1CH:
One avi file which contains a video stream, one audio stream and the text data for G-Sensor. The time and date are printed on image.
Front: AVI, H264 L3.0, 1216x688, 6550kbps, ~29fps, audio is PCM, stereo, 705kbps and text data for G-Sensor
2CH: One avi file which contains 2 video streams, one audio stream and the text data for G-Sensor. The time and date are printed only on front camera.
Front: AVI, H264 L3.0, 1216x688, 5700kbps, ~12fps, audio is PCM, stereo, 705kbps and text data for G-Sensor
Rear: AVI, H264 L3.0, 640x480, 800kbps, ~12fps@2CH

Uploading on YouTube:
Uploading original untouched videos on YouTube will bring you a maximum 480p YouTube resolution and lower bitrate. The audio is OK. The original front camera video resolution is 1216x688 and because YouTube needs at least 720p to encode as HD, the original video was resized to 1280x720 by me.
- Smart-I 3500HD original 1 Channel file (mdr_20130401_191759_I1.avi) uploaded to YouTube.
- Smart-I 3500HD original 2 Channels file (mdr_20130401_191116_I2.avi) uploaded to YouTube.
Only 1 channel is recognized and encoded by YouTube.
- Smart-I 3500HD original 1 Channel file (mdr_20130401_191759_I1_encoded.avi) uploaded to YouTube. The file was resized to 1280x720 and reencoded with latest version of X264 using CQ=17, no other special setting.

If you want to upload both channels on YouTube as Picture in Picture you will have a lot of work. I will offer only the idea, but not software support or advices.
1. Extracting both video streams using ffmpeg:
Code:
ffmpeg.exe -i input.avi -map 0:0 -vcodec copy -map 0:2 -acodec copy output0.avi

ffmpeg.exe -i input.avi -map 0:1 -vcodec copy -map 0:2 -acodec copy output1.avi

2. Preparing and encoding both videos using avs script for avisynth PIP picture in picture, VirtualDub and X264 VFW:
Code:
main=AVISource("F:\PIP\output0.avi", audio=false).LanczosResize(1280,720).ConvertToYUY2()
pip=AVISource("F:PIP\output1.avi", audio=false).crop(0, 72, 0, -56).LanczosResize(352,192).ConvertToYUY2()
Layer(main,pip,"add",255,960,0)
The original front camera video resolution is 1216x688 and because YouTube needs at least 720p, the original video was resized to 1280x720. The rear camera 640x480 video was cropped to 1:81AR, resized and added as picture in picture in the top right corner.
As you can see is a lot of work. This job should be offered by the Smart-i company.

What I like:
- comfortable video watching and the screen is nice and bright
- good quality rear camera for a SD resolution. I think is better than front camera.
- audio is OK and english voice is OK
- you can take out the camera from the mount. Being transparent is an advantage.
- power button
- micro SD Card easy to remove
- cable connectors are on top an this is OK and the cables are 90 degrees angled which is also OK
- good air vent holes
- power battery discharge protection offered in the firmware settings
- some girl like it. She will not use in her car but liked it.

What I don't like:
- just max. 15fps when using both channels. This is a dual channel camera so the user will use both channels. For me 15fps is not HD.
- too glossy, too obious, too big, too heavy, too big and bright front LED
- the mount system seems to be not very stable because the camera is heavy and that transparent is not heping hidding the camera
- rear camera can't be mounted on vertical rear windows
- both video streams are inside one video file. Is very hard to demux the videos, to make a PIP video, or even wathcing with any player except the dedicated PC Viewer
- flickering image during night because of artificial lights. Maybe because of white balance or maybe of my 50Hz
- strange colors (HDR?), image not clear. For me this is not HD.
- wrong 1216x688 resolution instead 1280x720. Uploading on YouTube will be a mess because only 480p and low bitrate offered by YouTube.
- if you want to have the Event button available you must to keep the display ON. For mute you need also to keep the display ON.
- some audio bug, missing sometimes 2 seconds and a crackling audio
- there is a small gap between files (1-2 seconds)
- PC viewer not updated after their Google API key expired.
- too much time for PC Viewer to find the SD Card
- audio is in some strange format because I cannot mux it with MKVMerge

My conlcusion:
If you want a fashion nice camera and want to watch the videos just on the camera 3.5" screen and don't bother with PC, encoding, YouTube, is a good dashcam.
But if you just want to transfer one file from the camera for personal use or as an accident evidence, searching for details, look for something else. This was my first dual channel camera and in the future I will be interested only if the cameras will offer front and rear videos as separate files or the PC Viewer to offer the demuxing or encoding as PIP.



enjoy,
Mtz
 

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Re: Hands on: Smart-i 3500 HD 2 Channel dashcam with touchsc

Great stuff Mtz, looking forward to your review on this camera.
 
Re: Hands on: Smart-i 3500HD 2 Channels dashcam with touchsc

I think I finished. The biggest question was how to demux avi with multiple video streams. I solved.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Re: Hands on: Smart-i 3500HD 2 Channels dashcam with touchsc

Great review Mtz,

Seems like this camera is not the greatest given the size and the difficulty in dealing with the video files. Unfortunately there are very few good dual cameras available today and this one doesn't seem to impress.
 
Re: Hands on: Smart-i 3500HD 2 Channels dashcam with touchsc

Before my review the camera was $300, now is $270. But another ebay seller is trying to sell this for $400.
For $100 I think is a good camera.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Re: Hands on: Smart-i 3500HD 2 Channels dashcam with touchsc

I discovered on their products page also the JaewonCNC cameras. I don't think are made by Innotek, but by JaewonCNC.
I was searching for software and firmware support and I didn't found it.

Their PC Viewer have some feature for firmware and software update. I was trying it to see if can find something new. Nothing new.
Then I tried to look in the update_smart_i_eng.exe file using the XVI32 hex editor:

and the link is this:
http://www.urive.co.kr/customer/downloa ... category=7
Which is for the Urive Albatross model.

So maybe the software or firmware of 3500HD is made by Urive?

enjoy,
Mtz
 

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Hi has anyone had any success updating the firmware? I have the same cam and its resetting the time back to factory setting every day. other setting i changed like shock and how much card space to save for parking stay saved, its just the time it loses so i don't think its a power issue.
 
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My Smart-i has now died veiw from front camera goes all green then voice says "camera error restarting system" this loops for ever :(
 
Try to contact your seller.
 
I have had it for 2 years seller ebay user id lightnspace not interested
 
Try also on http://astrobile.com/ which is also their store. At least try to find (from them) who is producing this camera.
 
i emailed Innotek Korea but got no reply.
 
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